Page 4 of Cursed
Beta Garek cocks his head, puzzled. “Strange. I’ll checkon her.” His footsteps resume, echoing off the dungeon walls.
Nori and Aylin both think to each other, “Oh shit!” at the same time.
Trying to sound nonchalant, even though her stomach churns at the thought of meeting the Pack Beta, Nori shrugs and says, “So, they sent their second in command to check on us. I guess now is as good of a time as any to ask for sanctuary.”
Aylin's voice sounds worried. “Hopefully, this Beta is not into beating women like our last one.”
The memory of the Starfall Beta’s fist striking her face on more than one occasion flashes through Nori’s mind. “Agreed.”
The footsteps get louder and heavier until they stop in front of Nori’s cell. She involuntarily jerks backward against the wall and wraps the blanket tighter around her trembling body. Making herself as small and as non-threatening as possible, Nori gets her first look at the very large, very muscular Beta.
Sounding alarmed, Aylin is loud in Nori’s head. “Wow, he is huge! He looks pissed, too. He’s totally going to kill us.”
Nori rolls her eyes. “Seriously? We’ll be fine. Now quiet down.”
The minty-smelling Beta is easily the largest male Nori has ever seen. He’s dressed all in black, similar to theEnforcers, except he wears jeans and a t-shirt under his fitted leather jacket, bearing that same red and silver patch on his shoulder that the Enforcers had. Fully armed with a short sword and an enormous gun on his hips, he looks every bit like the warrior he probably is.
He has shaggy brown hair, brownish-green eyes, and the hint of a beard on his squared-off jaw. He might have been quite attractive if he wasn’t staring at her with that look of disgust on his face.
The Beta’s dominance is indisputable; an invisible stream of power crackles in the air around Nori. He barks angrily at her, “Who are you? Why are you here? And what is that dreadful odor?”
Nori jumps and lets out a little squeak from his harsh tone. She looks at the Beta but keeps her eyes focused slightly underneath his because of her first rule when dealing with wolf shifters:
Rule #1: Never look an angry wolf in the eyes.
Since she can’t give him the information he wants, she decides to answer his questions with a question. Nori stammers, “Where...Where am I?”
With a smirk, he says, “You are in the dungeon.”
Aylin lets out a low growl. “Asshole.”
Taking a breath, Nori tries again. “What Packlands have I stumbled into?”
A menacing smile spreads across the Beta’s face. “Ah,you have stumbled into the Blood Moon Packlands. Where we kill first and ask questions later.”
Nori’s heart races, thudding against her ribs as his words sink in. She hangs her head, clenching her fists. “Gods Dammit! This is bad, Aylin!”
Could her luck get any worse? She has unknowingly stumbled into the lands of the Cursed Prince. There’s no way they will let her live, much less stay here. Everyone knows the Cursed Prince is vicious and does not tolerate anyone breaking shifter laws, and Nori had broken a big one. As far as she knew, it was against the law for slaves to run from their Packs.
She finally finds her voice and says, “I...I should thank you then, for sparing my life and for dealing with the Rogue that was chasing me.” She takes a steadying breath and continues, “Can I have some water? And maybe some food?”
Beta Garek's face splits into a genuine grin, thoroughly pleased with the she-wolf’s increased heart rate and the fear in her voice. “I see you’ve heard of us. I assume you know who our Alpha is?”
Nori nods her head. “Yes. The Cursed Prince.”
“Then, tell me. Who are you? Why are you here?” The Beta’s voice is sharp, grinding out his words.
Nori simply stares at the floor, weighing her options—truth or lie?
Aylin suggests, “How about neither?”
“Works for me!”
Beta Garek snarls at her when she doesn’t respond. “And don’t lie! I’ll know if you do.”
Nori’s eyes grow wide, staring up at the menacing Beta. Pursing her lips, she remains silent. In any other situation, she would follow her second rule:
Rule #2: Always answer an angry wolf when questioned directly.
